“She inspires you to succeed in a world full of men,” said Moravec, who was relaxing outside her motor home parked inside the Speedway.

It wasn't just women celebrating Patrick's success. Randy Humphreys, who has been a fixture in the Daytona infield since 1994, said he thinks Patrick earned a spot in the hall of fame by earning the pole. His buddy, Drew Falk, 49, of DeLand wants to see more women in racing.

“I am going to marry that woman,” he joked.

And if Patrick wins the 500 this Sunday, pandemonium will ensue in the rowdy infield, they said.

Patrick's success will only boost her celebrity status, but she'll need to build on it throughout the season, sports marketing insiders said Monday.

Patrick already offers substantial name recognition for NASCAR. She ranks among the top 10 in merchandise sales on NASCAR's online store, said Blake Davidson, vice president of licensing and consumer products for NASCAR. The store sent out a blast email after the historic win touting Patrick's merchandise and is working to get a commemorative shirt out as fast as possible.

She also attracts television viewers, according to ratings from The Nielsen Co. When Patrick won the pole for last year's DRIVE4COPD 300 Nationwide Series race — NASCAR's second-to-top racing series — it was the most-viewed Daytona qualifying event since 2007. The race itself was the most-watched NASCAR Nationwide Series event in cable history with an average of 4.4 million viewers tuned in.

The Marketing Arm, a promotion agency that conducts surveys on sport celebrities, found that 70 percent of U.S. consumers know Patrick. Her name recognition is on par with television personalities Suze Orman and Bob Costas and actor John Malkovich, according to the agency. Among those who know her, 87 percent say they like her to some degree, putting her in the same category as actor Jamie Foxx and singers Garth Brooks and Katy Perry.

Patrick's star power will only increase from the coverage generated from her winning the pole, said Mike Mooney, vice president of motorsports marketing for The Marketing Arm.

“Danica has definitely broadened the appeal of the sport to a new audience,” he said. “Winning the pole for an event like this, it puts her on a larger scale.”

For the young driver Barnes, Patrick is an inspiration. Capturing the pole for the sport's biggest race is motivation for Barnes to continue plugging away at her passion. She was one of seven racers selected for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program, which seeks to recruit women and minorities into the sport. Barnes runs a late model for the team.

Barnes wants to become the first woman to win the Daytona 500. But don't worry, if Patrick gets there first, she said she'll just revise her goal.

Barnes will be the first female driver to win a Sprint Cup championship.

-- Motorsports Editor Godwin Kelly contributed to this report.

skyler.swisher

NASCAR's top-selling drivers

These are the top drivers in terms of merchandise sales in the online store in no particular order.

<p>DAYTONA BEACH &mdash; Seventeen-year-old race car driver Annabeth Barnes won't forget when Danica Patrick became the first woman to win the pole in NASCAR's marquee league. </p><p> “One day I want to shake her hand and thank her for what she has done for the sport,” said Barnes, who grew up in a racing family and watched Sunday as Patrick broke a gender barrier. </p><p> The racing milestone, which will give Patrick the lead starting position in the Daytona 500, has set off an explosion of interest. </p><p> Race fans are snatching up Patrick-related merchandise, and national media outlets are devoting significant time to Patrick and the big race. </p><p> All of that is good news for Joie Chitwood III, president of Daytona International Speedway. </p><p> “I will never turn down anything that garners headlines for Daytona International Speedway,” he said. “The beauty of the sport is you never know what is going to happen.” </p><p> At Daytona Racing Souvenirs and Hobbies on International Speedway Boulevard, owner Daryn Howard was hoping a shipment of “Danica wins the pole” shirts would arrive by Friday. </p><p> “It's going to help ticket sales, and it's going to help our sales, too,” Howard said. </p><p> Regardless of whether the shirts arrive in time, fans were buzzing about the moment — both at Howard's shop and at the track. </p><p> Patrick winning the pole just “made the whole race better,” said devoted fan Lisa Moravec, 40, of Palm Coast. </p><p> “She inspires you to succeed in a world full of men,” said Moravec, who was relaxing outside her motor home parked inside the Speedway. </p><p> It wasn't just women celebrating Patrick's success. Randy Humphreys, who has been a fixture in the Daytona infield since 1994, said he thinks Patrick earned a spot in the hall of fame by earning the pole. His buddy, Drew Falk, 49, of DeLand wants to see more women in racing. </p><p> “I am going to marry that woman,” he joked. </p><p> And if Patrick wins the 500 this Sunday, pandemonium will ensue in the rowdy infield, they said. </p><p> Patrick's success will only boost her celebrity status, but she'll need to build on it throughout the season, sports marketing insiders said Monday. </p><p> Patrick already offers substantial name recognition for NASCAR. She ranks among the top 10 in merchandise sales on NASCAR's online store, said Blake Davidson, vice president of licensing and consumer products for NASCAR. The store sent out a blast email after the historic win touting Patrick's merchandise and is working to get a commemorative shirt out as fast as possible. </p><p> She also attracts television viewers, according to ratings from The Nielsen Co. When Patrick won the pole for last year's DRIVE4COPD 300 Nationwide Series race — NASCAR's second-to-top racing series — it was the most-viewed Daytona qualifying event since 2007. The race itself was the most-watched NASCAR Nationwide Series event in cable history with an average of 4.4 million viewers tuned in. </p><p> The Marketing Arm, a promotion agency that conducts surveys on sport celebrities, found that 70 percent of U.S. consumers know Patrick. Her name recognition is on par with television personalities Suze Orman and Bob Costas and actor John Malkovich, according to the agency. Among those who know her, 87 percent say they like her to some degree, putting her in the same category as actor Jamie Foxx and singers Garth Brooks and Katy Perry. </p><p> Patrick's star power will only increase from the coverage generated from her winning the pole, said Mike Mooney, vice president of motorsports marketing for The Marketing Arm. </p><p> “Danica has definitely broadened the appeal of the sport to a new audience,” he said. “Winning the pole for an event like this, it puts her on a larger scale.” </p><p> For the young driver Barnes, Patrick is an inspiration. Capturing the pole for the sport's biggest race is motivation for Barnes to continue plugging away at her passion. She was one of seven racers selected for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program, which seeks to recruit women and minorities into the sport. Barnes runs a late model for the team. </p><p> Barnes wants to become the first woman to win the Daytona 500. But don't worry, if Patrick gets there first, she said she'll just revise her goal. </p><p> Barnes will be the first female driver to win a Sprint Cup championship. </p><p> </tag> -- Motorsports Editor Godwin Kelly contributed to this report. </p><p> </email>skyler.swisher </p><p> </p><p> </t>NASCAR's top-selling drivers </p><p> These are the top drivers in terms of merchandise sales in the online store in no particular order. </p><p> Brad Keselowski </p><p> Kyle Busch </p><p> Kasey Kahne </p><p> Carl Edwards </p><p> Dale Earnhardt, Jr. </p><p> Danica Patrick </p><p> Jeff Gordon </p><p> Tony Stewart </p><p> Jimmie Johnson </p><p> Kevin Harvick </p><p> Source: NASCAR</p>